Carousel
by AbsolutAnda
Summary: Troy is scared of carousels, but Gabriella can't think of a better way to spend the afternoon. Oneshot. Futurefic. TXG


This just sort of popped into my head after I saw HSM3 (which was magical, by the way) so I wrote it out and here is the end product! Enjoy!

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"Mommy, mommy! Will you ride the ponies with me?" Gabriella looked down at her five year old daughter over her swollen belly of eight months, smiling warmly at her as she bounced excitedly in front of her, pointing at a carousel not too far away.

"Not today, baby. I'm sorry…" She rested her hand on her large stomach as she trailed off at the disappointed expression on her daughter's face then turned to her husband, who had his eyes fixed on something off in the distance of the park, not listening to what was going on. "Troy?" She gave him her best puppy dog eyes as he turned around at the sound of his name. "Will you take Araceli on the carousel? I don't think my stomach can take the spinning…" She pointedly glanced down at her stomach, waiting for her request to sink in. Immediately, Troy's discomfort showed on his face as his gaze flicked over to the colorful carousel behind his wife. He gave her a pleading look, as if to say_ "please don't make me_", but she didn't let him woo her this time. It was a bit ridiculous really, a thirty year old basketball coach being scared of a carousel, but he wouldn't tell her why. All he ever said was that he "had a traumatic experience when he was little." She often wondered if it was in any way linked with his uneasiness around clowns.

He sighed when he realized that there was no way he could get out of this then put on his best smile before volunteering himself to the proverbial noose.

"Of course I will. What kind of a question is that?" He said it cheerfully, but there was a bit of a playful sarcastic bite in his voice that made Gabriella laugh as she let go of his hand. "Ready to go, kiddo?" He asked Araceli as he scooped her up into his strong arms, making her squeal with excitement.

Gabriella laughed warmly as she watched Troy carry their daughter off towards the slowly turning carousel. She loved to watch him play with Araceli. He was such an amazing father and they always had such a good time together. That would probably change in ten years when he started threatening her dates, but for the time being, Araceli couldn't get enough of him.

Gabriella slowly walked after them, following them to the gates set up around the carousel. The two had reached it just as it stopped and were now climbing on, Araceli practically dragging Troy behind her in her eagerness to get to her favorite pink pony. She watched, smiling, as Troy picked up their daughter and set her in the plastic saddle on the pony, reminding her to hold on tight to the pole. Then he braced himself, holding onto the pole just above Araceli's small hands and forcing a smile on his face. Gabriella laughed, leaning on the railing next to another mother who had her camera out to take pictures of her child.

"Is that your daughter?" The mother asked, nodding towards Troy and Araceli, was who waving enthusiastically at her mother, keeping one hand wrapped tightly around the pole as her father had instructed. Gabriella nodded in response, waving back. "She's beautiful." The woman said. Gabriella turned to look at her.

"Thank you. She takes after her father." She glanced back over at the pair as the carousel started to turn, laughing at Troy's uneasy expression as he was jerked back at the sudden movement. Araceli really looked a lot like him. She had his bright blue eyes, his brown hair and the mischievous air about her that had gotten Troy into so much trouble during school. "Are they yours?" Gabriella asked as the woman held up her digital camera to snap a few photos of a pair of twin boys, probably just a year or two older than Araceli, who had decided that sitting on the ponies was far too boring and who had stood up on the plastic saddles, waving wildly to their mother, who sighed.

"Unfortunately." She joked, as she took a few more photos before turning to Gabriella. "I don't know where they get their energy!" She sounded exasperated, but she had a smile on her face. "Is it just something that comes with being a boy?"

Gabriella focused her attention on Troy, who was coming around from the other side of the carousel, who still had the same uneasy expression on his face but was chatting to Araceli about something, a smile starting to break though.

"Well, if my husband is any measure of that, I'd have to say yes." She laughed, catching Troy's attention. They locked eyes for a few seconds as he passed by in front of her, seeming to relax slightly as he laughed at something Araceli had just said, before he broke eye contact and focused on whatever his daughter was so excited about.

"You certainly got lucky with yours!" The woman laughed, referring to how handsome Troy was. Gabriella knew very well how lucky she was, in more than just his looks. She had married a truly amazing man, who didn't back down from any challenge and who seemingly could do anything, whether it was making the winning basket at the buzzer or riding a carousel. "How far along are you?" She asked, gesturing to Gabriella's swollen stomach.

"Eight months. I'm due March fifth." She beamed, placing her hands fondly on her stomach as the small boy inside kicked violently. "This little guy's going to be a soccer player!" She joked, knowing her saying that always got Troy defensive about how his son was going to play basketball, "none of that soccer crap!" She knew he was just kidding though. After all the pressure he had gone through with his father about basketball, they both knew there was no way he would do that to his children. She remembered laughing when he had even gone so far as to say "if he wants to take ballet, so be it…but he's moving in with Ryan."

"Wow, so not long. Congratulations!"

They continued their easy conversation for another five minutes until the carousel stopped turning and Troy staggered over to her, Araceli bouncing along behind him, squealing to go again. Gabriella turned away from her fellow mother –Laurie, her name turned out to be—to greet her husband, who looked a bit green in the face.

"I'm never going on one of those again." Troy stated flatly, leaving no room for argument as he leaned heavily on the railing, staring at his wife with a look that clearly stated "_You are truly evil for making me do that."_ Gabriella just laughed and cupped his cheek in her palm, brushing her lips across his forehead carefully.

"But I'm still proud of you." She responded lightly, patting his cheek before turning to her daughter, who was still bouncing around excitedly, oblivious to Troy's current mood.

"Mommy, mommy, did'ya see me? Did'ya see me?" She asked with a large grin, ignoring her father, who groaned and rested his forehead on his forearm on the railing.

"Yes, I saw you. Did you have lots of fun with daddy?" She kneeled down so she was at eye level with Araceli, adjusting her daughter's pink winter coat, zipping it up all of the way.

Araceli nodded enthusiastically, squeezing her eyes shut as her brown hair flew across her face with the wind.

"Are you ready to go home now?" She pulled her daughter's hat out of her coat pocket and helped her put it on her head, adjusting it so it covered her pink ears.

"Yes!" Troy interrupted, his head shooting up at the mention of getting away from the carousel. "I'll go bring the car around." He volunteered quickly as he straightened immediately and reached down for his daughter's gloved hand that fit so perfectly into his. "Ready, Ari?" At her enthusiastic nod, they started off, jogging back towards the parking lot hand in hand. Gabriella wandered after them much slower, falling into step with Laurie who was headed in the same direction. Her twins were running around, chasing each other as they slowly made progress towards their car as well.

"Your family is beautiful." She said sincerely, watching Troy and Araceli race across the large field. Gabriella just smiled in response, not knowing what else to say. She knew she had a beautiful family, she saw them every amazing day when she waddled into the kitchen, frizzy hair pulled back in a messy bun as she squinted in the light from the large window. There she always found Troy making pancakes or whatever he felt like whipping up that particular morning, and Araceli in one of Troy's large basketball jerseys as PJs, sitting at the counter chattering on to her father about anything that popped into her head. It was a perfect family picture that Gabriella wouldn't change for the world.

"I definitely got lucky." She sighed finally, staring fondly at her husband's back with a thoughtful smile on her face, rubbing her stomach absentmindedly. Back in high school, if someone had told her this would be her future, she would've laughed. Back then, when she first transferred to East High, she had been planning on a high paying career working with science and making world-changing discoveries. If she had been told she would be a stay-at-home mom, married to her high school sweetheart living comfortably in the suburbs, she might've even been insulted. But that just goes to show that you can't plan your life perfectly and expect it to turn out like that.

"What does your husband do?" Laurie asked casually after a pause, keeping an eye on her twins as they slowly made their way towards the car park.

"He coaches a high school basketball team." She answered, feeling a swell of pride in her chest. Troy had made it to the NBA and had played with the Knicks for three years before quitting to spend more time with his wife and daughter. He hadn't told her at the time, but his knee had also been giving him trouble. He later told her that, had he not quit then, he might've ruined it for good and had to have surgery to be able to walk again. "Are you married?" When Laurie nodded, she continued. "What does he do?"

"He's an engineer." She laughed. "He's always loved computers. I'm just glad he managed to make a career out of it."

They neared the parking lot and Gabriella saw Troy waiting patiently in their new Taurus, Araceli bouncing around as much as her car seat would allow.

"Oh yeah, I took a few picture of your daughter and husband. I can e-mail them to you, if you like." Laurie held up her camera as she offered.

"That would be great, thank you!" They exchanged e-mail addresses before Gabriella said goodbye and hurried to the waiting car. She opened the door and carefully lowered herself into the passenger seat, leaning over to give Troy a quick kiss before she buckled herself in.

"Mommy, can we get burgers?" Araceli asked the second Troy started to pull away from the curb. Gabriella twisted around in her seat to look at her daughter, who had a hopeful smile on her shining face.

"Well," She pretended to think hard about it. "Since your daddy was _such_ a good boy today, I guess we can." She laughed as she turned back around and saw the proud smile Troy was sporting, like he had just gotten a reward for doing a trick. "I'm proud of you for facing your fears." She stated happily, leaning over to give him a peck on the cheek.

"If I get all this for riding a carousel, maybe I could get a new basketball hoop if I hugged a clown…" He joked lightly, laughing at Gabriella's "_I'm not amused"_ look she was giving him.

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Sorry if that was a really abrupt ending. I couldn't think of anywhere else to take it without having it drag on for ever and ever.

Let me know what you think! Review! (And then go see HSM3 if you haven't. Truly, it is _magical!_)

SJ


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